I very recently purchased a new Merida Scultura Comp 905-E and this is my initial review after a few rides.

The frame is fairly stiff and when i accelerate hard the bike responds effortlessly and is smooth on all road surfaces with no noticeable vibration. The Entry level Fulcrum wheels are strong and true. The Vittoria Rubino Slick roll nicely but already got my 1st puncture today. There are better tyres out there that roll as well and have better puncture protection like maxxis re-fuse

The FSA Crank and FSA Drop bars look nice and seem to do the job well. The Ultegra DI2 is absolutely a step up from Cables especially moving from the small to big cog on the front. Very smooth going through all the gears on both small and big front cogs. I did have initial problems with the chain jumping the cogs on the way down but I took it to a LBS I trust and he tuned and adjusted the FD and RD for me. The Selle Italia X1 saddle still feels hard to me but I will give it some more time to see if i can get used to it.

The only thing i don't like is the Merida Pro Brakes as they don't have the stopping power or feel of my previous 105 let alone ultegra so these will be the 1st thing to get changed in the coming months. I was surprised to see how well the Tiagra rear cassette worked compared to my previous 105 and will keep running that until it dies and then replace it with a ultegra rear cassette.

Overall: Great frame and very smooth ride. (Make sure the gears are set up correctly before you ride it to get the most enjoyment.

However, as you have noted in your review, it seems that Merida has really downspec'd the group set, I am guessing to hit the price point, and therefore I had begun looking at the 907-e as an alternative as it is a full ultegra group set with lighter frame and wheels. The extra $1000 is a big step up, and although I am loving the Merida's, maybe the Giant and others come into the picture at the low $3000 price range...

I guess the alternative would be to just order the 905-e and have my LBS install ultegra brakes (etc) from day one... I can imagine the price gap being caught up very quickly though...

Please keep posting updates on your journey with the 905-e; if nothing else, I can ride vicariously through you...

Loving my Merida's and working towards adding a Pinarello to the stable... Go go go...

I have looked online and can pick up a set of ultegra brakes for approx $100 Aust. Besides that there is nothing I would need to change for at least 12 months. I am learning that by keeping the drivetrain clean the bike runs really smoothly.

The only thing i don't like is the Merida Pro Brakes as they don't have the stopping power or feel of my previous 105 let alone ultegra so these will be the 1st thing to get changed in the coming months.

Try some different pads before you spend the money, unless you are after a fully matched groupset. You already have FSA cranks so it shouldn't be too important. Different pads could be all that you need.

auswi2 wrote:I wonder if nomal Shimano or swissstop pads will fit when i take the Merida pro pads off and will I need to order the pads only or the piece that the pads fit into.

Thanks

auswi2

I don't see why the pads wouldn't fit as I assume the Merida Pro brakes would be similar to standard road brakes. I guess if you want to know for sure on each question maybe head down to the LBS and ask the question.

Went for another decent ride on this bike yesterday but first I made some brake adjustments.

I was suprised to see that after the adjustments the Merida Pro brakes and pads handled really well so no need to do anything there which is great. It could be that they have started to bead in hence the performance improvement. I have decided to change the Vittoria Rubino Slick tyres out with a set of Maxis Re-fuse Tyres along with some quality tubes which I have ordered from CRC today That should make a world of difference and is more puncture resistant then what I currently have.

The bike itself is fantastic and very smooth. one thing I do like is being able to flip the stem over to increase the drop bar height or to remove some of the discs to lower the height.

It has been 12 months since i done this review and great news I still have the bike and loving it. The only change i have made besides the saddle which I changed very early on in the piece was to put stainless Steel brake cables from my local LBS which has helped hugely.

I have only had one spoke break on the original wheels and no issues with the DI2 components. The bike comefortable to ride and if you need to sprint it is very stiff and responsive and have changed gears under load many times. I still have the original 4600 cassette and no issues what so ever

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